Air conditioning apparatus



Sept. 20, 1960 w. H. MULLIN AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. W/zz /AM M/zz/A d l/{w if m Sept. 20, 1960 w. H. MULLIN 2,952,997

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 25, 1957 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 Aazlyr -characteristics of the apparatus.

r' 2,952,997. lc Patented Sept. 20, 1960 AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS William H. Mullin, Havel-town, Pa., assignor to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 692,416

7 Claims. (Cl. 62409) The present invention relates to refrigerating apparatus. More particularly, this invention has to do with air conditioning apparatus of a compact and unitary type, and

to a novel method of assembling such apparatus.

In air conditioners, and particularly in apparatus of the type commonly referred to as single room coolers, it is of substantial importance that the overall dimensions of the apparatus or unit be as small as possible. Achievereduction be accomplished without sacrifice of either .capacity or flexibility of operation.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a room cooling unit which is unusually small and compact.

It is another object of the present invention to provide,

for an air conditioner, novel compact air .moving apparatus of unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of assembling air'conditioning apparatus. j

It is still another object of this invention to provide suitable heat exchange apparatus in novel combination with the aforesaid air handling apparatusl A further object of the present invention is to include, in a unitary assembly, both mechanical and electrical control components for the air moving and cooling elements of an air conditioner.

' To the foregoing general ends, the invention 'contem plates, in a preferred embodiment thereof, 'the pro.-

or coils, and unitary means for forceablycirculating air in heat exchange relation with said coils, and in which the coils and the means for forceably circulating air have vision of refrigerating or air conditioning .appar'atusof the type including evaporator and condenser elements,

such novel arrangement as to minimize overall dimensions of the unit while maintaining optimum operating There is further provided novel unitary control panel and air directing means including manually operable means for controlling the operating components of the air conditioning apparatus.

It is an important feature of the present inve'ntionltha't the construction and arrangement of the various components, hereinafter to be more fully described, promote, in addition to compactness of structure, simplicity of manufacture and ease of assembly. i

The manner in which the foregoing, as well as other I objects and advantages, are realized will be understood from a consideration of the accompanying drawings forming apart of this disclosure, and in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspectiveiview of an air conditioner made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view, on an enlarged scale, of apparatus illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational showing of apparatus as viewed in the direction indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the manner of effecting sub-assembly of apparatus partially illustrated in Figure l; and

Figures 5 and 6 are somewhat diagrammatic showings of the manner of assembling apparatus best seen in Figures 2 and 4.

Now making more detailed reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, the window mounted air conditioner 10 includes a cabinet 11 and a conventional decorative panel 12, the latter comprising, in the embodiment illustrated, the inlet air passage .13 for the air moving means 14. The outlet air passages or grilles 15 disposed in the upper surface of the cabinet 11 are in air flow communication with the novel, unitary air moving means 14, to be hereinafter more fully described. The aforementioned inlet .13 and outlet air passage 15 are further disposed in air flow communication with a separately handleable, unitary refrigerating means 16 (see Figure 4). Also an aperture 11a is provided to accommodate registry therewith of manually operable control means 65, 72, 73, to be hereinafter more fully described.

More particularly, apparatus seen in Figure 4 comprises refrigerating means 16 supported upon a base pan 17 provided with vertically extending peripheral flanges 18, said means including a motor compressor 20, a condenser 21, an evaporator 22, and associated conduits through the agency of which said compressor, condenser andevaporator are coupled in series flow circuit. These conduits include a. discharge line 23, through which compressed refrigerant is delivered to the condenser 21 and a feed line -24, which as shown may advantageously comprise a continuously open restricted connection through which liquid refrigerant is fed to the evaporator for expansion therein. Additionally, there is provided 'a suction conduit 25 to return the volatilized refrigerant to the compressor. In accordance with the present invention, condenser 21 comprises a multiple-row tube portion 21a and a single-row tube portion 21b; theadvantages of this novel configuration will be hereinafter fully explained. c

In accordance with the present invention, and as bes seen in Figures 2 and 4, the aforesaid air moving means .14 is a unitary structure comprising a substantially L-shaped'partition 26, 26a (Figures 2 and 4) extending,

respectively, longitudinally of and transverse the apparatus, the two partitions separating the evaporator coil 22 and its air moving means 30 from the condenser coil 21, the compressor 20, and the air moving means 3'1 associated therewith. A motor 32 is disposedin the partition'means and extends through the latter, into both the condensing and evaporating chambers. The motor is provided with a shaft 33 extending into each of the evaporating and condensing chambers, and one end of .the'shaft supports an axial flow evaporator fan comprising blading 34 adapted to draw air to be cooled inwardly over the coil 22 adjacent thereto and further to discharge the air drawn through the coil in a radial direction with respect to the fan. Radial deflection of the moving air in the aforesaid evaporator chamber with respect to the fan 34 is advantageously promoted by a flexibleand resilient sheet 35 of insulating material such as foam rubber, or the like, extending across the exposed end of the motor 32 and the partition means 26 thereby providing an air deflecting contour. Preferably, sheet 35 has an aperture 38 disposed in' registry with the end ,of-motor 32 wherebya portion of the motor is inheat .exchange relation with relatively cool air in the evaporating chamber; thus, cooling of the motor is accommodated. VA Osman-11y available materialrfound suitable for use as the combined insulating and air deflecting sheet 35 is foam polyurethane. An arcuately formed air ba file 36 (Flgure 4) is disposed in substantially axial 'alrgnment with :fan' 34 and adjacent lower portions thereof, and insures substantially unidirectional-fiow-of the cooled air upwardly through grill'es Baflie 36' sub-assembly of the air moving means as well as the.

overall compactness of the unit. By thus .providing'discharge of air from the upper horizontal wallof the'housing the full vertical wall; portion. opposite the ran is available advantageously to accommodate extension of cooling coil 22 substantially the :full height of the front -wall "(see Figure 1).

A fan 37 is carried by the other end of shaft 33, and

construction and arrangement is such that it draws air inwardly over the double-tube portion 21a of condenser coil 21 adjacent thereto and discharges this same air over the compressor 20 and through the single-tube .portion 21b of the condenser .21 adjacent the latter;

also, portion 21a of the condenser coilisfurther characterized in that it has a' greater fin depth than does por tion 21b. It will be appreciated that any undue heat absorbed by motor 32 in the condensing compartment will advantageously be dissipated to the cooler air of the evaporating chamber through the ,motor end exposed through aperture 38 in insulating sheet '35; The

"foregoing novel pattern of air dew and condenser construction advantageously provides apparatuswhich is both. compact and capable of operating at optimum efliciency in that relativelycool outside air is drawn first "over the portionzla' of the condenser having the greater fin depth, and comprising the major portion of its overall heat exchange surface; this air is then forced over the compressor, followed by moving the resultant relatively over the portion 21b of the condenser having the lesser fin depth, and comprising the lesser porcal wall 55 and a damper 62, to close the aperture,

.lhingedly mounted, as seen at 63, upon the aforesaid vertical wall portion. Sealing of the damper 62 against the edges defining aperture61 is accommodated by a sheet of sponge-like material 62a, for example foam polyurethane, afiixed to the damper and over-lapping the latter to provide the seal. Additionally, the damper means includes a linkage, 64a operable by a knob 65 afiixed'to a verticallyextending shaft (not shown), the latter being suitably 'journalled in the horizontal wall portion 56. Also carried by the horizontal wall portion of the panel are a power/supply switch 70, and a thermostat 71, each having manually operable knobs 72 and 73, respectively, disposed adjacent the damper control knob 65. 'Ihus, manual controls for the electrical and mechanical operating components are provided in a unitary structure. Nonacljustable electrical components carried by the vertical wall portion 55 of the panel include fan and compressor motor condensers designated generally by the numeral .74, as well as the starting relay :mechanism75 for thecompressor motor. :Service cord 80 for the air conditioner is also aflixed to wall portion 57 of panel 54, by known suitable means, as seen at 76. Inasmuch as the electrical circuitry of air conditioning apparatus of the type illustrated is well known in the art, no detailed description thereof will be undertaken other than to point outthat the novel assembly-includes suitable wiring harness .elements utilizing quick disconnect solder-less terminals, .and designated generally by the numerals .81 and 82.

- In accordance withcertain novel method conceptsof the present invention, and'as best seen in Figures 5 and 6, a method of contouring the insulating sheet isillustra-ted. Referring list to Figure 5, the aforesaid sheet of insulating material 35 is :aflixed to. the partition means 26; Partition-26 haslan aperture '27 so configured as to 7 receive the motor 32 for substantial registry therewith (see Figure 6). The insulating sheet'35 has an aperture tion of its total heat exchange surface, Also, the "ofiset configuration ofportion 21a accommodates positioning of the compressor thereby contributing further to compactness of the unit. a f

Additional structure of the unitary'air moving means 14finc1udes fan shrouds 40 and 41, and an endwall a 42 provides spacing of the shrouds 40 and 41 from the partition means 26, the spacing being further ensured :by upper-and lower bracket means 43 and 44, respectively. The lower bracket means advantageously comevaporator coil drip pan 46 (see Figure 4) for gravity flow down the channel to a disposal sump'area' 51 in the-base pan 17. r V

A conventional slin'ger' ring' 52 is provided on fan 37 disposed in the condenser chamber, said ring being SO 'COnSfIHCted and arranged as to dip into condensate accumulated in the area 51 and cause the latter to im 54 "extends substantially parallel to partition 'means' 26, and along an edge portion 18 0f the base pan, in's'ub- "stantial alignment with the outer surface portion of "the cooling ,coil 22.: Panel 54 comprises, a vertical wall portion 55, aridan upper horizontal wall' portion 56 ex- 3 tending therefrom, A fresh air damper means 60 is fprovided in the panel, and provides selective air flow communication between the outside air, 'by 'w'ay of the V compressor compartment, and the air conditioned area. 'Dampermeans 60 comprisesan aperture 61 inf the vertirprises a sloping upwardly presented channel having its upper end 45 adapted to receive condensate from the sembled.

38 somewhat smaller in diameter than-the aperture 27,, and in particular accordance with the presentinvention the motor .32fisinserted into the "aperture 27 :adistance sufiicient to "cause the insulating material 35 to stretch, and enlarge aperture 38-to the position generally designated at 38a in :Figure '6, 'therebycontouring the insulating sheet. The motor is then clamped in place. byknown suitable :means designated generallyby the, numeral 83 in Figure Z. f v I V i 7 Referring again to Figures 1 and 4,-conventional air filter means 19 of known :construction is disposed between air'inlet grille 12'and evaporator 22, jandis held in place -by tahs 29 As best seen in Figure 1', control feeler bulb 71a extends through wall 55 'of control 'panel '54 and across filter '19 where. it is disposed in the inlettair stream.

Also, suitablecover plate means 28 overlies evaporator :having .aidripu'ay. 46 disposed thereon, and unit 16 is then mounted upon. the base, 'byknown suitable holding means (not shown), and in suchposition that the-evaporator 22 nests thetray 46. Thus :is provided the basic .unit upon which all .other components are as- Prior'to finaLassembly;sub-assemblyof the air moving means 14 involves attachingrpartition 26 and 'sh'rouds'40, .41 to the wall portion.42,follow'ed bygattachin'g brackets 43along with combined bracket anddrain trough'44. Insulating sheet 1351s then attached to the partition 26 .foll'owedby insertion of air deflector '36 in ;.-the manner hereinafter described, to' mount the same. The motor 32 is then;assembled"intothe air handling means 14,;inthe manner previously described and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Sub-assembly of the air handling means is completed by mounting fans 34 and 37 upon the ends of shaft 33.

As regards sub-assembly of the control panel 54, the components hereinbefore described are attached to this panel by known suitable holding means, and the necessary electrical connections are provided for attachment of such components to the compressor and fan motors.

The next component to be mounted upon the base pan 17 comprises the novel air handling apparatus 14, its mounting being accomplished by lowering it into position and then attaching the end wall 42 to base pan 17. Installation of the control panel 54 then follows, after which cover plates or baffles 53 and 28 are attached. As seen in Figure 'l, the'cabinet 11 is then attached to the base pan 17. The filter 19 is then placed in its position and the control feeler bulb 71a extended across the same, followed, finally, by attaching the grille 12 by known suitable means (not shown), to cabinet 11.

From the foregoing description it will now be understood that the novel apparatus and method of assembling the same results in substantial reduction in the overall dimensions of the apparatus, and in significant simplification of both manufacturing and service procedures. Simplification of the latter is particularly advantageous where hermetically sealed systems are concerned, since such systems are not ordinarily provided with service shut-off valves.

While the principles of this invention should not be considered as limited in applicability to apparatus of any particular dimensions, it is of interest that practise of the invention has made it possible to reduce the size of air conditioning equipment to about one half the cubic volume of conventional units of equivalent capacity.

I claim:

1. In air conditioning apparatus of the type including evaporator means adapted for air flow therethrough, air moving means for discharging air being drawn through the evaporator means laterally with respect to the latter and in heat exchange relation to portions of the moving means, said last mentioned means comprising: partition means spaced from said evaporator means, said partition means having an aperture provided therein, a motor disposed in said aperture and including a shaft extending transverse said partition means; axial-flow fan means carried by said motor shaft and disposed intermediate said evaporator means and said partition means; and a flexible and resilient sheet-like member having an aperture normally smaller than the portion of the motor extending through the partition means, said sheet-like member, in the region of said aperture, being flexed over the motor whereby a portion of the motor is exposed through the aperture provided in said member and portions of the sheet surrounding the aperture are deflected by such flexing to extend arcuately from the motor and onto the partition means, the construction and arrangement of said fan means and said deflected sheet-like member being such that air is drawn through the evaporator means by the fan means toward the partition means, including exposed portions of the motor, and deflected laterally from the fan by the formed sheet-like member.

2. In air conditioning apparatus of the type including means defining a housing, upstanding partition means within said first mentioned means dividing the same into evaporator and condenser chambers, an evaporator element within said evaporator chamber, a compressor ele ment and a condenser element within said condenser chamber, and air propelling means for directing cooling air in heat exchange relation with said condenser element and air to be cooled in heat exchange relation with said evaporator element, said last mentioned means comprising: a motor provided with a shaft, said motor extending through said partition means into each said chamber and said shaft being provided with axial-flow at means dis-1 posed in each said chamber, and a flexibleand resilient sheet-like member of low thermal conductivity disposed in said evaporator chamber and stretched across said motor onto said partition means, the construction and arrangement of said fan, evaporator, and sheet-like member being such that air is drawn across said evaporator by the fan in axial flow relation thereto and deflected radially therefrom by said sheet-like member.

3. A compact air conditioner including a box-like housing having top, bottom and end Wall portions, open oppositely, disposed side wall areas, and apertures in said top wall portion; a condenser disposed in one of the mentioned side wall areas and extending substantially the full height and width of the latter, said condenser having a zone of greater depth and another zone of lesser depth; an evaporator and adjacent panel means disposed in they other of the mentioned side wall areas and extending substantially the full height and width thereof, said panel means being disposed opposite the mentioned condenser zone of lesser depth and said evaporator coil being disposed opposite the mentioned condenser zone of greater depth; a compressor disposed intermediate said panel means and said condenser; refrigerant conduit means interconnecting said condenser, evaporator and compressor; and partition means separating said condenser and corn pressor from said evaporator and including air moving means disposed intermediate said evaporator and said condenser for moving air to be cooled inwardly through the evaporator and discharging the same upwardly through the apertures in the housing top wall portion, while moving air inwardly over the condenser zone of greater depth, thence over the compressor and outwardly through the condenser zone of lesser depth.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, and further characterized in that said panel means disposed in the other of the mentioned side wall areas includes a horizontal wall portion extending from said side wall area and disposed in substantial registry with one of the said apertures in said top wall portion of the housing, said panel means further having an aperture, a pivotally mounted damper overlying said aperture for opening and closing movements relative to the latter, and manually operable control means disposed in the horizontal wall portion of said panel means and extending through the aperture pro vided in the top of the said top wall portion of the housing, said control means being arranged to operate said damper.

5. A compact air conditioner including a housing having top, bottom and end wall portions, open side wall areas, and apertures in said top wall portion; a condenser disposed in one of the mentioned side wall areas and extending substantially the full height and width of the latter, said condenser having a zone of greater depth and another zone of lesser depth; an evaporator disposed in the other of the mentioned side Wall areas and extending substantially the full height and width thereof, said evaporator being disposed opposite the mentioned condenser zone of greater depth; a compressor disposed adjacent the mentioned condenser Zone of lesser depth; refrigerant conduit means interconnecting said condenser, evaporator and compressor; and partition means separating said condenser and compressor from said evaporator and including air moving means disposed intermediate said evaporator and said condenser for moving air to be cooled through said evaporator and said apertures in the housing top wall portion, while moving air inwardly over the condenser zone of greater depth thence over the compressor and outwardly through the condenser zone of lesser depth.

6. An air conditioner made in accordance with claim 5, wherein said air moving means comprises an axial-flow fan, a fan motor including a shaft mounting said fan adjacent said evaporator and a housing extending through said partition means, a sheet of flexible and resilient material extending across said partition means, and stretchedv onto said motor housing; said'material'beingfsd contoured by said ho'usingas to'provjide" radial, air disfliarge'fio'm Said fan, and" deflector -meansi-foreifecting substantially unidirectional flow of the radially discharged air through said apertures in the top wall, saiddeflectorimeansineluding an arcuate member extending away from saidpartition means, and disposed substantially in the plane 'of said fan, said member further being substantially coaxial with said motor shaft and having its open side presented toward the air discharge apertures.

7. Apparatus for moving air, comprising: partition means; motor means including a housing portion extending away from said partition means; axial flow fan means carried by said motor means and disposed adjacent its housing portion; a sheet of flexible and resilient material extending across said partition means and stretched onto the hou ing portion of said motor means, said material 2,044,069 Erbach; 'Ji1ne16, 1936 15 "2,309,224 a 1943 2,332,730 r 1943 2,640,646: 1953 2,711,087 1955 a 8 a being. so contoured by-the motor means; housing portion as to promote radialtair'dischar'ge fromsaidiaxial flow fan Irneans; and means. for eif'ectingsubsfantially unidirectional flow of the radially dischargedair incIuding an arcuate, member extending away ironrsaid partition means and disposed generally'in the plane" of said fan means, said arcuate'member being substantially coaxial with the said fan ,means. F

References Cited in the file of patent UNITEDISIATES PATENTS i 

